Adult Sexuality Flashcards
(31 cards)
Singles
- Late 20s & early 30s single group — more than doubled since 1970s
- Later marriage, more education years, less stigma to being single, female careers
- Many have serial monogamy, but range from celibate to swingers
- Less committed than married couples
- Cohabiters who marry more likely to divorce as more independent, less traditional people
Singles: POSSLQ
people opposite sex sharing living quarters — doubled 1980-92
Singles: Approximately: __% never married, __% divorced
50%, 30%
60-70% of divorced below 35 years but greatest increase since 1980 is in over 35 year group
Historically Patriarchal
gives sanction to relation maintenance of home, child rearing & support, transition of inheritance
Arranged Marriage
in many cultures choice of appropriate partner governed by the culture, family selects & often when child is still young.
Free choice in Marriage
usually choose partner similar to self in ethnicity, religion, age, size, interests — Homogomy
Mating Gradient
trend for some women to marry up economically and men to marry down
Current Patterns in USA on Marriage
- 65% adult men & 60% adult women are married
- Age of 1st marriage up 3 years from 1975 — 26.5 yrs Men & 24.4 yrs Women
- 50% of marriages end in divorce
Current Patterns in Canada
- Number of marriages down by 24% since 1972
- Age of 1st marriage up from 1972 — 30.8 yrs Men & 28.5 yrs Women
- 33% marriages end in divorce
- Divorce rate in Canada was very rare before 1960 and tripled from 1960 to 1970
Marital Sexuality:
Kinsey (1950s), Hunt (1970s), NHSLS (1990s)
- changes in society affected marital sexuality as well as sexuality of young singles
Societal Changes when comes to marriage
- reduced male dominant role
- media (including explicit) more influence, and greater availability
- scientific findings made public
- contraceptive technology
Marital Sexual Changes
- increase time in foreplay & frequency of sex (7x a month)
- greater variety of positions in intercourse & of behaviours, e.g. Oral Sex
- longer duration in lovemaking — thanks to women
- still decrease in frequency over time related to aging and time in marriage
Homogamy
tend to choose partner similar to self — ethnicity, age, size, interests
Conventional Adultery
not known to partner ranges from once to many years
– more emotional adultery
Consensual Adultery
- know to partner
- most still disapprove & men are more accepting and higher incidence than women
Swinging
both partners openly involved with other — white, affluent, well educated
- avoid emotional connection with others as this threatens primary relationship
- males initiate the swinging, male usually feels threaten
Open Marriage
either partner may have relationship outside marriage
Group Marriage
three or more share intimate relationship although cannot be legally married and more committed than swingers.
Divorce
30-50% marriages end in divorce — men are more likely to remarry
- Factors: No fault divorce, improved economics for women social acceptance
- Most Common Reason: poor communication and lack of understanding
- High Costs: emotional & financial and children
Sexuality & Aging: General Issues
body image, self esteem, family/public attitudes
Choices of Sexual Behaviours
opportunity for privacy, positions for sexual intercourse and other sexual behaviours, intellectual abilities, availability of partner(s)
Reproduction and Sexual Responses
fertility, arousal, orgasm, ejaculation
Common Myths about Sexuality Related to the Aged Population
- Sexuality is the province of the young
- Sexual interest and activity declines rapidly with age
- Older bodies are not sexually attractive
- Sexuality activity for elderly people is inappropriate and even ridiculous
- Older people do not have sexual thoughts and desires
- Older people go into relationships for companionships only
- The only true and acceptable means of sex is through intercourse
Biological Aging Varies
persons of same age can appear to be 20 years apart in age.
- diet, lifestyle, substance abuse etc. have significant effect
